I use full backup on demand before any change to system (such as upgrade, and let’s encrypt cert updates). This is once every 1-3 months. Then, I move backup file to local machine and do a remote restore on a second parallel HA system on different hardware. In this way there are always 2 redundant HA systems (pi based with external hard drives) running on my local network with point in time sync of databases and all settings/config. I use PAT externally 8124 to 8123 for the second instance so I can get to it from a browser from anywhere, the same as the first instance, just on a different port. I disable all automations on the second (backup) instance. In the event that first instance fails (hardware or otherwise), I can get in remotely to second instance and enable automations. No loss of any entity history or states. Note automations are normally off on the backup instance to avoid potential conflicts with primary instance control (only one active automation HA at any time). Backup is used in my case to keep a parallel HA system ready to take over immediately in the case of primary system failure (just by enabling automations). Once HA1 is rebuilt, even if much later, I can then run a backup on HA2 and restore to HA1 to bring the primary HA back in sync to the new point in time. I don’t see added value in encrypted backups for my use case, it will just slow down the backup/restore process I go through on each upgrade to keep my two instances in sync. on a local (inside firewall) network. As posted by others if my backups are exposed to the outside world it means my entire internal network has been exposed and that has larger potential consequences. I agree with recommendation to make encryption optional. This is a good feature for those that want/need it, but should be able to be bypassed. If I were to lose both instances, an offsite copy of the last backup can be used to bring both back to where I last updated them (loss of recent history obviously in this case). Arguably since the offsite copy travels there could be value in encyrpting it, but also as mentioned by others I prefer to handle this by my own file management policies rather than be forced by a lower level system into a double encryption situation.
I have been tinkering with computers long enough that I have understood years ago that NEVER EVER encrypt anything on local drives, and not always even on cloud! More than often that only leads to inaccessible data, when you are most in need to access that backup of yours.
Like others, I am fine if cloud backup have that encryption, but I am not updating my Home Assistant until I can TOGGLE FORCED ENCRYPTION ON/OFF however I decide, as I am not going to encrypt my local backups.
I loaded 2025.1 but the FoxESS-Modbus integration failed. As this was the main reason for using home assistant I have had to restore to 2024 version
It’ll never get fixed if you just revert and do nothing else.
Is this you reference? Although AES is free for any use public or private, commercial or non-commercial programs that provide encryption capabilities are subject to U.S. export controls and sanctions administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the Commerce Control List (CCL). None of these license exceptions, however, allow encryption products to be exported to the following embargoed countries: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
Boy did that fabulous backup overhaul backfire… Lol…
I am now totally puzzled, I’ve been using HA for about 4 years now with several add-ons, integrations, customizations, weird setups and what not… I have only restored a backup once when moving HA to a new device and I have never ever opened a backup file… Guys, please help me, what am I doing wrong?
-
how often do you open your backup archives?
Once every three to six months -
What do you open it up for?
Reverting a minor change in an automation or esphome configuration. So the use case for me is reverting small changes. -
How often do you need to restore your backups?
Twice in 4 years for full backups
I think the MJXFJ-300-G1 uses the fan.xxx component. And yes my air purifier worked fine also post update to 2025.1.x.
The dehumidifer however uses the climate.xxx component, and this was the portion that had issues.
Just want to report changes to climate entity attributes I’ve noticed as these are not mentioned in the changelog.
I use a simple template sensors to extract some climate attributes values to use them in automations and dashboard. i.e.,
# returns none as of 2025.1
template:
- sensor:
- name: "living_room_target_temp"
icon: mdi:thermometer
unit_of_measurement: "°C"
state: "{{ state_attr('climate.living_room_trv', 'occupied_heating_setpoint') }}"
device_class: temperature
Looks like climate attr local_temperature has been renamed to current_temperature and climate attr occupied_heating_setpoint has been renamed to temperature. Breaking change like this should be properly introduced with 6mnths warnings first.
template:
- sensor:
- name: "living_room_target_temp"
icon: mdi:thermometer
unit_of_measurement: "°C"
state: "{{ state_attr('climate.living_room_trv', 'temperature') }}"
device_class: temperature
I’m probably typically a similar usecase - generally wanting to do quite focussed yaml roll-backs.
Might do some specific yaml changes then want to roll back to a few weeks back once I’ve realised what I changed was a bad idea or to debug etc.
Edit: Just saw it would be better if I responded to madelena’s Qs…
- how often do you open your backup archives?
Probably once every 3 months when I stuff up a significant yaml change. - What do you open it up for?
Get select old yaml that works better than my revised updated one. - How often do you need to restore your backups?
Major restore once every two years or so. Probably for new hardware.
But then maybe just an add-on say once a year.
Out of curiosity, those that seem to be opening their backups to compare YAML files seem to be more power-usery. Why not use a tool designed for comparing files like git and backup up the config directory to GitHub (minus sensitive files)? I currently use both the tar backups and the git method, and personally I’ve never had to open a backup when I broke something. I typically refer to the git history or restore from backup.
I don’t want to start a fight, just from my experience the backup feature felt more like a “oh shit” feature, vs one that’s intended to be opened and prodded in to do a piecemeal restore. Of course I’d love to see that change, but I’m not asking for a full featured command center for backups.
That is indeed one of the options I am considering. Not good for secrets though, or add-on update backups.
[“KEBA”] (Keba Charging Station - Home Assistant) , integrated part of HA is broken too and there must be something really special about 2025.1 since so many integrations are broken. I have had 1 so far during several years and in this one it’s like 4 or 5 out of 37 and i can see so many other guys also are suffering on other integrations. It’s really out of the normal.
Thanks for this release. I find that I’m not able to use the automatic feature because it can only fire at 4:45am. I use a NAS that is not online 24/7, and is not usually up at 4:45am. The NAS is awaken by WOL at 2am by an automation. HAOS is not the only system doing backup as that time - I have 5 other computers doing so as well at 2am. They use Acronis under Windows and each a “pre” action setup to do WOL also, in case the other systems didn’t wake up the NAS somehow.
With HAOS, I currently use Samba backup, which allows me to set the backup time as I wish, unlike the new automated backup feature.
I backup every night.
I do not restore often, as everything is very stable. Sometimes after beta testing when installed too early on my production system, and I remember a SD card crash one time. But this is exactly the problem for me, as you not do that very often, passwords will be forgotten or can be lost. Absolutely annoying for the time you put into home assistant setup. I see so many people not using password managers, it’s annoying agreed, but also Home Assistant will not change this.
Please, add encryption choice for local storage and add some kind of, “downloaded key” acknowledgement if keeping it for clouds, if necessary…
some sense in this convo at last, personally, I am currently sticking with the 2024 release, I back up every 3 days because i can, and loads of testing on dashboards (i have 3 spare for testing stuff in front end) The cloud wont work for me despite being a nabu casa user as my backups are 3.1gb each so I would not be able to store 2 let alone anymore.
encryption is not needed for me as backups are on a nas and my encryption is done from that nas to google cloud and then to another remote nas
So, there are some rough edges in the new UI.
-
I tried to “backup now” to do a manual backup, but it opened the screen for scheduling automated backups, which I specifically did not want. There should be an option to decline the scheduling and actually do what the button says, “backup now”. I was forced to define a schedule, then delete it, then finally I was able to do a manual backup by clicking “backup now” again. That is not a good user experience.
-
the wording and location of “settings” is confusing
The word “settings” appears 3 times below :
- in the header, “Backup settings”.
- in “Settings and history”.
- finally in “Configure backup settings”, in blue.
Perhaps the second one was meant to be “Backup data”, to match the title of the header on the page it takes you to when clicking it.
The last one takes you to the exact same place as if clicking the calendar link (“automated backups are not scheduled” in my screenshot), so it’s also redundant.
- how often do you open your backup archives?
Most often 5-10 times a year BUT when the need is there its because i have scr**ed something up badly and really need the files.
- What do you open it up for?
To get ex. configuration.yaml for comparison or an ESPHome file for one of the +30 units i got.
- How often do you need to restore your backups?
That doesn’t really matter. Seems like asking people to only wear their seatbelt the day your gonna crash. But in general, 1-10 times a year. Depending on how much change i do and how bad i am at it. (prob. like the general owner of a HA setup)
Forced local encryption on backups feels like being completely out of proportions to an eco system made for amateurs like me and there were perfectly fine options for backup’s pre. 2025.
But TY for an otherwise fantastic eco system right up to this release.
BTW: Just had to use unzip of backup this morning to get rid of Z2M 2.0.0 as my 10 Ikea buttons stopped working.
This could take us to a nice feature request.
Problem: we don’t have rollback option on configuration/automation/scripts/esphome/… And we all know that we like to touch things working to improve them and sometimes we break it. Sometimes we just need to go back to a previous working config.
What we do now: spend a lot of minutes waiting to open the full backup tar, navigate to yaml file and copy/paste.
Possible solution: for example, when saving an automation, the system just have to save the previous yaml in other place, then we can have a timeline on the automation to check previous modifications to allow us copy/paste or restore.
This honestly is what I’d love to see. The backup system improved upon of course, but maybe a version control system of sorts added as well for smaller changes or rollbacks.
To me, it honestly sounds like a lot of folks are using the backup system as a round about way to get VCS.